1970s
Politics and Law The Presidents : Richard Nixon: *Re-elected in 1972 in a landslide victory over George McGovern *Watergate: The Watergate scandal would erupt when a group of men were caught breaking into the Watergate complex in Washington D.C. Nixon's White House aide testified that Nixon had a taping system in the Oval Office that recorded his talks with visitors. Amidst the controversy, Nixon vowed to stay in office, but eventually resigned. : Gerald Ford: *Ford was first appointed to Vice-President after the resignation of Spiro Agnew in 1973. *After the resignation of Nixon in August of 1974, Ford became the first person to gain presidency without first being elected into either Vice-President or Presidential office. : Jimmy Carter: *Carter was not a well known name at the beginning of the 1976 presidential campaigns. This may have helped gain him support because many other candidates were in some way connected to the Watergate scandal. *In the presidential race, Carter began with a large lead against the incumbent Ford, and though it would become a closer race as time went on, Carter would prevail and become the 39th President. Landmark Court Cases Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education: Culture and Society Fight for Equality: American up-rise for equality was a top priority for minorities in the 1970's. Direct protest by Native Americans, Latinos, college students, women, gay/lesbians, environmentalists and others were arising. They drew majority of their motivation to stand up against unjust laws from the black freedom struggle and its success in the prior years (American Promise: a compact history, 709). Groups such as the "Trail of Broken Treaties" created by Native Americans in 1972, La Raza Unida (the United Race) created by Mexican Americans in 1970, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force founded in 1973, and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) started by Richard Nixon in 1970 started to erupt all over the country (710, 712, 713, 714). Aside from the EPA, these groups were organized to promote equality among race and gender. In 1973,Roe vs. Wade allowed women the right to an abortion in the early stages of pregnancy (715). One year before this, Title IX was created. It banned sex discrimination in all aspects of education (718). The 70's were a great time for female progression toward full equality. War Opposition: Opposition to the American war movement arose in the 70's as well. In 1971, the New York Times published the Pentagon Papers. The paper revealed the secret government documents consisting mostly of an internal study of the war with Vietnam beginning in 1967. This was only part of the strong anti-war movement going on in the United States. More than 60% of the country thought it was a mistake to send troops to Vietnam and after the''Pentagon Papers'' the numbers increased. Music: Marriage: With the change of the traditional American family (wife as a housekeeper and husband out at work), the divorce rate within the United States doubled during the 1970's. Half of all the marriages ended in a divorce during this time. The overall structure of American marriage changed as a result of this. Many people either never married or postponed their marriage until late into a period where they were already bearing children (American Stories: A History of the United States). Works Cited Jahanbani, Sheyda. ''American Promise: A Compact History, ''14th ed., vol. 2 (New York: New York City), 709, 710, 712, 713, 714, 715, 718, 741, 750. Jahanbani, Sheyda. ''American Stories: A History of the United States, ''(New Jersey: Upper Saddle River/Pearson Prentice Hall), 843, 844.